“They said that ongoing efforts to reform Medicaid in the commonwealth should be given time to bear fruit before expansion is considered.”  Va. House Members Say No to Medicaid Expansion (Washington Post) “The president called on Congress, bus…

“Something is deeply wrong here, and we need to step back, take a look and listen.” Petula Dvorak: Devastating toll of mental illness demands our attention (Washington Post) “Even as the United States as a whole makes steady progress in its fig…

“The bulk of D.C.’s new owner-occupied housing will need to cost under $400,00o (in 2011 dollars) in order for the new workers to be able to afford it …  As for rental housing, the vast majority will need to cost under $1,750 a month, and…

“The minimum wage in the District would increase to $11.50 per hour by 2016 under a bill approved by a D.C. Council committee Monday afternoon.” D.C. Council committee passes minimum wage increase (Washington Business Journal) “The months seem…

“’Hearing that there’s somebody out there going through something that you can really relate to is so important, Choo said.” The holidays, mental health, and the gift of storytelling (MinnPost) “Donors gave 90 percent more this year to char…

“[Poverty] sucks up so much mental bandwidth – capacity spent wrestling with financial trade-offs, scarce resources, the gap between bills and income – that the poor have fewer cognitive resources left over to succeed at parenting, education, o…

“Under the program, known formally as the Supplemental Nutrition and Assistance Program, or SNAP, a family of four that gets $668 per month in benefits will find that amount cut by $36.” 47M Americans hit by food stamp cuts, starting tod…

“Seventy-seven percent of conference participants either agreed or strongly agreed that ‘people can’t always get the mental health services and treatment they need.’ Stigma and poverty were the biggest ‘mental health challen…

“’It’s OK to have a voice,’ she said. ‘Your voice has been silenced for years. You can remain anonymous, but you can have a voice.’”  Domestic Violence Survivor Helps Abused Women Regain their Voice (News One) “For me, education was…

“The survey results will be used to help build a case for legislation designed to protect the civil rights of homeless people to use public space, vote, feel safe, obtain legal help, social services and education.”  A Homeless Bill of Rights (St…